


Love, Hate and Basketball

by Laligt



Category: Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Popslash
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Crossover, Fights, Hate, Hate Crimes, High School, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Multiple Crossovers, Science Fiction, Teen Angst, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-07
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-20 13:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laligt/pseuds/Laligt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a major rivalry between two schools, Whittello and Middletinn. It goes beyond the norms when the hate crimes start against openly gay students. From love, to hate, to intense basketball tournaments and a completely shocking turn of events, how will these students cope? Will they put their differences aside and help each other? Will they get along or will things just get worse?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nick Carter and Justin Timberlake continued walking together, laughing tiredly.

“God, I’m so tired.” Justin whined, “I don’t understand why we have to wake up this early to just come to school.” He said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

“I’m so cold.” Nick muttered, rubbing his hands together.

“I know,” Justin sighed, “I woke up shaking today. But compared to some of my friends, this is nothing.”

“Which friends?” Nick asked, stopping in front of Justin’s classroom, just like they did every morning.

“Steph, Sarah, and Tina. You know they live on the East Coast… well, except Steph that is.”

“Where exactly does Sarah live?” Nick asked, leaning against the pole.

“In Ohio… Tina lives in Manhattan… or Massachusetts… or somewhere over there. I can’t really remember, it’s too early. But anyway, I heard it was below zero Fahrenheit the other day. They had like a football game the other day, in THAT fucking cold.” Justin groaned, “I’ll die.”

Nick chuckled, “I’m sure you would.”

Justin smiled, “You know, now you’ve got me wonderin’ which football team is her favorite. Who plays for Manhattan? Or Massachusetts… or up there… somewhere.”

“Hmm.” Nick mumbled, actually thinking about it. “Oh my God, I’m thinking!” He joked.

Justin laughed, “And early in the morning too.”

“Tell me about it.” Nick chuckled, moving away from the pole when the bell rang. “Well, I’m out… that’s the second bell.”

“Ok, I’ll talk to you later…” Justin said, then sighed in frustration, “You didn’t tell me about the team!”

“I don’t know for sure… I’ll think about it.” Nick promised, walking away to his class.

“I think she’s in Manhattan.” Justin exclaimed.

“I’ll make a list of the teams on the East Coast later.” Nick said, disappearing in the hallway.

Justin walked into his class and smiled big when he saw a television in the middle of the classroom. “Hell yea…! Sleeping time!” He said to himself, walking to his seat and sitting down, exactly when the bell rang.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“NY Giants?”

“Hell no, she hates them.” Justin shook his head, taking a bite of his bread stick.

“Um… by the way, Manhattan doesn’t have a team.” Nick said, taking a bite of Justin’s bread stick.

“Oh… ok.” Justin nodded, sighing, “How can I forget… she was telling me all about them yesterday!”

“Just call her.” Nick suggested, taking a sip of his Fanta.

Justin shook his head, “Can’t. She’s working.”

“Um… oh!” Nick exclaimed, his face lighting when he remembered the team. “Stupid ass!” He laughed, taking another bite, “The Patriots! You’re such a dork!”

“Don’t call me a dork, fin!”

Nick made a face, busting up laughing. “A fin? Why the fuck would you even think of calling me a fin for? You’re so bad at comebacks.”

“I couldn’t figure out what else a whale has that I could call you.” Justin blushed, giggling.

Just then, their friend, Brian Littrell, the captain of the basketball team, decided to join them.

“Dude, we better kick Middletinn’s ass. We’re on a roll this year.” Brian said, sitting next to Nick. Nick and Justin both nodded.

“Hell yea, but they’re easy to win against. Last year we won big time… it wasn’t even a challenge.”

“This year’s totally different.” Justin said softly, “They’re awesome. I checked them out this year.”

Brian nodded, “Yea… Even Alex is playing.” He said, picking at the label on the bottle.

Justin looked at Nick first, then looked back at Brian, “What?”

“Alex is playing against us… he joined the team this year.”

Nick bit his lips, and threw his arm around Brian, “We’re still gonna kick their asses. We’re good.”

Justin smiled at Nick’s confidence. He loved that about his friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Justin rushed into the class, looking for Nick, “Nick! Come on! Let’s go eat before we have to go to the GYM.”

Nick raised his hand, telling Justin to hold on. 

He was sitting in front of the computer, his glasses on, reading something. Justin was shocked. Nick always hated computers, and he could’ve sworn Nick didn’t know how to even turn a computer on.

He walked over to Nick and sat next to him, smiling to himself, thinking how cute Nick looked. “What are you reading?” He asked, glancing at the screen.

Nick didn’t say anything for a few minutes, then turned and smiled at Justin.

“Since when do you use computers?” Justin asked, putting his stuff down on the floor.

“Since I promised you I’ll make sure about this football thing.” Nick smiled. “Ok, so I was right, Massachusetts’ team IS NE Patriots.”

Justin just sat there, smiling, not saying anything.

“What?” Nick asked, “Do I have something on my face?”

Justin shook his head and just continued staring at Nick. “You hate computers!” He said, “You don’t even know how to get on the Internet Explorer!”

Nick blushed a little, “I promised you I’d find out ab…”

Justin took a deep breath and leaned over, crushing his lips against Nick’s. He couldn’t believe Nick would go out of his way to find something out for him.  
Nick’s eyes grew wide and he just froze.

Justin swallowed hard, refusing to open his eyes. He didn’t want to see Nick’s face.

“What are you doing?” Nick asked against Justin’s lips.

Justin shrugged, finally pulling away. “I don’t know.” He said, blushing. “I just… I just thought it was… um… sweet that you would go out of your way, through all that trouble just for me.”

Nick smiled and leaned over, kissing Justin softly, “All for you.”

Justin sighed softly, “Thank you.” He whispered.

“Anytime. So, as I was saying, I’m positive that…”

“Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Nick smiled and giggled as he leaned over again, kissing Justin.

Justin closed his eyes, and moved closer, wrapping his arms around Nick’s neck.

Nick licked Justin’s lips, silently asking for a permission to deepen the kiss.

After a few minutes of kissing, Justin pulled away, looking at Nick. His mouth was swollen from the kiss, and he was breathing a little hard, “Shit!”

“That’s not what you say after you kiss somebody.” Nick said, licking his lips.

Justin blushed and giggled, “Sorry… it’s just that… the game is gonna start in less than twenty minutes, and we’re not even in the locker room.”

Nick got up, grabbed his stuff and walked back over to Justin, pulling him up. “Come on.”

“The coach is gonna be pissed!” Justin said, nervously. “What are we gonna tell him?”

Nick kissed him softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by a Queer as Folk episode.

Nick slammed the locker shut, putting his shirt over his head. The locker room was actually quiet for the first time since last season.

Justin glanced at Nick as he walked over to his locker. He sighed sadly as he started dressing.

They had lost. For the first time since the season began, they lost once, and that was today. On top of all, it was against Middletinn High… Whittello High's rival.

Nick grabbed his stuff, and stormed out of the locker room. He couldn't believe they lost. He was so confident they were going to win. He ran his hand through his wet hair as he walked over to his car. He unlocked the door and got in, punching the steering wheel a couple of times in anger and sadness. "Fucking shit!" He yelled, slamming the steering wheel one last time.

Justin had followed Nick, and watched his every move. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and got in.

Nick jumped a little, startled. "Justin, what are you doing here?"

"I'm not letting you drive like this…. And alone." Justin said, looking at Nick.

"Just, I just got my license; you can't be in here with me." Nick said, wanting to be alone.

"You didn't care about that shit this morning, or yesterday, or the day before yesterday… I'm not leaving you alone."

"Just go Justin." Nick said, sighing.

"No Nick, I know you're upset that we lost, but it happens."

Nick shook his head, "Not against Middletinn."

Right then, Brian tapped on the window and waited for Nick to open it. "Babe…. Your car…"

"What about my car?" Nick asked, confused.

"Come here." Brian said, opening the door and pulling Nick out of the car, showing him what he was talking about.

"What? What is it?" Justin asked, getting out and walking over Nick.

Nick's eyes grew wide and gasped. He heard people laughing and snickering at him.

Right there, on his brand new car, the word "faggot" was painted in big pink letters.

He turned around, his face red from anger. He looked at the guys who were laughing at him and immediately knew they weren't from his school.

"Fucking faggot!" One of the guys said, looking at Nick.

Justin immediately grabbed Nick, knowing he would jump them if he didn't hold him back.

Brian's eyes grew wide when he saw Alex hanging around with the others, not believing he would even think of using that word.

Alex just looked at Brian, not saying anything.

"Awww, look at that. His boyfriend's to the rescue." Another one said, snickering.

"You fucking piece of shit!" Nick yelled, moving out of Justin's arms and lunging at the first guy that was right there.

Justin and Brian ran, pulling Nick as Alex pulled the other guy.

"I'm a fuck you up!" Nick yelled, trying to pull away from Justin. He wiped the blood from his nose, still trying hard to pull away from Justin.

The other guy smirked, spitting out blood. "Just wait you fucking fairy, you just wait."

Brian looked at Alex, hurt. How could he left his friend say stuff like that? He turned his head and looked away. "Shit! Ware is coming… Coach is coming… Justin… get Nick out of here."

Justin opened the door and pushed Nick in. "Brian… get in." He said.

Brian shook his head, but Justin insisted, not wanting him to get in trouble, especially since he was the captain. Brian sighed and got in.

Justin closed the door and started the car, trying to get out of there.

Nick glared at the guy who he got in a fight, and then flipped him off as the car drove off. He took a deep breath and punched the glove department as hard as he could.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The car stopped in front of a lake. Justin turned it off and glanced at Nick, "You ok?"

Nick didn't say anything, but just stared straight ahead, still angry.

Brian sighed and opened the door. He ripped his shirt and walked over the lake. He rinsed the cloth with the cold water and walked back to the car, opening the door on Nick's side. "Look at me."

Nick turned and looked at Brian. Brian held Nick's chin gently, and started cleaning his face.

"I'm sorry." Nick whispered, knowing how much the words hurt Brian.

Brian shrugged, "No big deal." He said, even though it was a big lie. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Justin bit the inside of his mouth, and looked out the lake, not saying anything.

"I… I'm sorry that… he was there… and the names he called me." Nick said softly.

"I… I'm gonna go… for a walk." Brian muttered, handing the shirt to Nick as he turned around and just started walking away.

"Rok…!"

Brian didn't listen, but just continued walking away.

Justin turned and looked at Nick. "Let me see your face." He said  
softly.

Nick turned and looked at Justin, "Do I have any bruises?"

Justin nodded, "Just one… right here." He said, touching the skin gently.

Nick winced a little, "That obvious?"

Justin shook his head, "Unless you point it out." He said, moving closer to Nick, "Does it hurt a lot?"

Nick shook his head, "Not that much." He said softly. "You shouldn't have hold me back like that… I wanted to punch him."

"I didn't want you getting hurt." Justin whispered.

Nick looked at Justin, biting his lip. "I'll live."

Justin reached over and caressed Nick's cheek. "I don't want to see you hurt."

Nick swallowed hard, but didn't say anything, suddenly realizing how close Justin was. 

"Nick." Justin whispered, leaning closer to Nick.

"What are you doing?"

Justin's answer was obvious when his lips touched Nick's lightly.

Nick closed just stayed like that for a few seconds, then pulled away. "What the fuck are you doing?" He asked, wiping his mouth.

Justin looked at Nick, hurt by the reaction. "I… I was…. I… kissing you."

"Did I say you could fucking kiss me? Shit." Nick mumbled, looking away.

"Sorry… you didn't fucking mind it back at school." Justin said, looking at Nick, hurt filled his voice.

"That was… something that is never going to happen again." Nick said, "And don't mention it to anybody ok? I don't want the fucking school knowing."

Right then, Brian opened the door and got in.

Nick glanced back, "You ok?"

"Yea." Brian nodded, "Yea. Let's just go home."

Justin just started the car and drove off, trying hard not to cry in front of the guys.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who read! Enjoy chapter 3! =)

Alex's eyes went wide when he saw Andre punch Nick. He ran over to him and pulled him away.

He looked at Brian, and his heart stopped when he saw the pain in Brian's blue eyes. He wanted to talk to him, say that this wasn't his fault. But he knew he couldn't.

His eyes trailed over to the car, and he read the bold letters. `Faggot.' He thought to himself, closing his eyes.

When the car drove off, he pulled Andre, "Come on… you don't want to get in deep shit."

"He's right." Jason said, starting to walk away.

Once they were all away from the school, Matt looked at Alex, "Party at my house for kicking their asses… literally." He laughed, thinking he was funny.

Alex shook his head; "I have to get home… my mom's waiting for me."

Andre shrugged, "Aight… I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Alex said, walking away from the guys. He took a deep breath and turned right at the all too familiar street. He walked down the street and stopped in front of a house. He looked around him, before starting to climb the tree, and getting in the tree house.

He sat down on his sleeping bag, pulling his pillow to himself. He looked out of the window towards the house across of him, determined to see if Brian was home yet.

When he didn't see a light in his bedroom, he knew he was still out. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He couldn't believe everything that happened.

He knew joining that team was going to be a little hard, especially when playing against Whittello High. What he didn't know was that it would cause him to hurt Brian like that.

He sighed sadly, pulling out his pack of cigarette and pulling one out. He lit it, and took a long drag, grabbing his cell phone. He dialed the all too familiar number, waiting for Brian to pick up. When Brian didn't, he left a message, asking him to call him back.

He hung up and put the phone down, crawling over to the other sleeping bag. He got in and hugged the other pillow, loving how it still smelled like Brian.

After Alex finished his cigarette, he grabbed his phone and called Brian again. After the third ring, he was about to hang up, but Brian's voice stopped him.

"What do you want AJ?"

Alex swallowed hard. Brian never called him AJ. "I… I need to talk to you… come outside." He said softly, sitting up.

"I'm busy." Brian said coldly.

"Brian please." Alex whispered, moving over to the window.

"This faggot has homework to do." Brian said, hanging up the phone.

Alex stared at his cell phone for a few minute before getting up and walking out of the tree house. He slowly and carefully climbed the tree higher, and walked closer to Brian's window. "Brian." He called out softly, seeing Brian sitting down on the bed. He looked around him, and grabbed something he could throw at the window. He grabbed the nearest thing and threw it carefully.

Brian jumped, startled. He turned around and glared at Alex when he realized it was him.

"Open the window." Alex begged Brian.

"Fuck off." Brian said while walking over to the window to close the drapes.

Alex shook his head and arms, "No, no!" He exclaimed, moving around too much and starting to lose his balance. "Hold on… plea… Shit!" He said when his body betrayed him. His eyes grew wide when he felt himself falling, but thankfully, he was fast enough to grab the branch.

"Alex!" Brian yelled, immediately opening the window. "Baby, hold on." He said, leaning over as much as he could, ignoring the fact that his bedroom was on the second floor, and it was too high for his liking. "Here… grab my hand."

Alex shook his head, "I… can't." He said, his hands starting to slip a little.

"Baby, come on, just grab my hand." Brian begged, extending his arm more. "Please."

Alex nodded and shakily extended his arm. He grabbed Brian's hand as tightly as he could, and let go of the other, his body slamming to the wall.

"Hold on." Brian said, pulling Alex up.

Once Alex was inside of the room, he collapsed on Brian. Brian hugged him tightly, kissing his head. "Don't fucking scare me like that." He said, closing his eyes.

Alex hugged Brian back, breathing hard. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry baby."

Brian pulled away and shook his head, "Don't… just… go. I told you I was busy, why did you fucking do that for?"

"Dammit Brian, I didn't know they were going to do that. They were just having fun… you know, joking around." Alex said, talking about the "faggot" writing.

"Since when calling people `faggot', `fairy', `queer', is just having fun?" Brian asked, looking at Alex, hurt and angry. "That's not fucking joking around AJ, and don't you fucking dare tell me that again!"

"I'm sure they didn't mea…"

"If they didn't mean it, how come they don't know about you being gay?" Brian asked.

"I'm not ready to tell them."

"Right… you can tell a lot of people, but you can't tell your friends. You're a faggot AJ…don't be ashamed of it! Do you know what hurt me the most today? The fact that you just STOOD there, and did NOTHING throughout the whole thing. How the fuck do you think I feel Aje? You think it's easy for me seeing my boyfriend hanging out with a bunch of homophobes, who abuses us?"

"They're not hom…"

"Stop defending them!" Brian yelled, "You know as well as I do that they are! Why can't you see it?"

"Why can't you accept it that they're my friends?" Alex yelled back.

"Why can't you see how much they're hurting me?" Brian turned around, choking back a sob.

Alex walked over Brian and debated on whether or not he should put his hand on his shoulder, "Baby… I'm really sorry for everything you're going through, but they're my friend… my teammates."

Brian turned and looked at Alex with tears in his eyes, "And I'm your boyfriend." He whispered.

Alex should his head slowly, "No, no, you're gonna make me choose between you and them, huh?"

"It's all up to you Alex." Brian whispered, blinking back tears.

Alex looked at Brian sadly, "I… I can't… you know I can't leave the school… I can't leave the team… I just can't leave the guys."

"But you can leave me?" Brian's voice broke a little, as much as he tried not to show how much this was killing.

Alex started walking backward to the door. "I… I'm sorry… I love you… but I can't leave them."

"Go." Brian whispered, "GO!" He yelled, the tears finally falling down his eyes. "Get the fuck out of here!"

"I love… you." Alex whispered.

"Don't!" Brian yelled, "Don't fucking tell me you love me when you're walking out on me! GO!"

Alex sniffled, and turned around, leaving Brian's room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* This chapter (along with many others) contain very graphic description of violence and hate crime.

Nick picked up the phone and dialed Justin's number for the fifth time. When nobody picked up, he dialed Justin's house number, and waited for somebody to pick up.

"Hello?" A sleepy voice answered.

"Mom… hey, good morning, sorry I had to wake you but Justin isn't picking up his cell phone, and I'm already late."

"Oh, he left already baby." Lynn said, yawning, "He said something about being there early."

"Oh." Nick said, confused, wondering why Justin didn't tell him. "Ok, thank you." He hung up the phone and grabbed his keys, "Mom! I'm out!"

He walked out of the house and to the car. Getting in, he sighed softly. He didn't understand why Justin left without telling him. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway. He hated driving this car, but knew he couldn't drive his car until it got repainted.

The bell rang right when he got to school. He parked the car, and grabbed his stuff before running to his first class.

At lunch, Nick sighed sadly as he sat down alone. He had been looking for Justin since nutrition but had no luck. The lunch was  
almost over, and there was still no sign of Justin. He grabbed his phone and dialed Justin's number, groaning in frustration when Justin didn't pick it up.

The bell rang, and Nick got up, walking over to his locker. He got his stuff and made his way to the classroom.

Walking into the classroom, he froze, seeing Justin sitting. He walked over to him and took a seat. "Where have you been? I've been trying to find you since morning."

Justin shrugged, looking away.

"Are you ignoring me?" Nick asked softly.

Justin didn't say anything.

Pharrell Williams and Curtis Jackson walked in, walking over to Nick and Justin, sitting in back of them.

"Hey guys." Justin said softly, pulling them into half a hug, Nick doing the same thing.

"Hey." Curtis said, sitting in back of Nick.

"Yo Nick, you aight? I saw what happened yesterday… I tried hard to keep Coach Ware away." Pharrell said, sitting in back of Justin.

Nick smiled softly and nodded, "I'm fine… nothing big deal happened… just those fuckers fucking around."

"Next time, we'll kick their fucking asses… just cuz they won for like what? The first time in years, they're…" Pharrell started, but he was interrupted when Mr. Chasez walked in.

"Alright class, we don't have much time. We have less than a month to go on stage, so I want all my cast for `Voice from High School' up and on stage now." Joshua Chasez, the drama teacher said pulling  
his script out.

Nick groaned to himself. Sure he loved acting, and he loved this class, he just didn't want to do it today. He smiled softly as Christina Aguilera walked over to him, and pulled him up, "Come on, let's take our position."

Nick nodded, and got up, letting Christina lead him to the stage.

Justin got up, and slowly walked over to the stage, where Cornell Haynes, Jr was. Every once in a while, glancing at Nick and Christina.

"Alright, everybody take positions! We're starting on the fourth scene, where Christina's jumping off of a cliff." Joshua said, sitting in the front row, right in front of the stage. "Nick, don't forget to hold Christina… Chris, Howie, pick Christina up."

Chris and Howie helped Christina, picking her off her feet, just like a cheerleader would.

Nick walked in front of them, and grabbed Curtis's arms as they got in positions.

"Wait… something's not right." Josh said, biting on his pen. "Alright, I got it… Pick Christina higher. Good… ok, Brian, say  
your line."

Brian came forwards, as the other students made a line right in back of him. "…Dive from the highest rock into the lake below, swagger into unknown place, and shouting."

Right then, some people started shouting `do it', some people begging her not to. Christine acted like she was falling off of a cliff, as she landed in Nick and Curtis's arm.

"Hmm… something's not right… why don't we take it from the top. The whole skating thing, but this time, before Brian starts his monologue, Nick and Justin ride the skates for a few seconds, then everybody freeze so Brian can say it. Before Brian begins to say `…run on streets...' do whatever you're supposed to do, and then all of you freeze again. Right when Brian is going to start talking about the cliff, I want ya'll to move closer to him, and block the back, because Chris and Howie, have to pick Christina up in a second, Nick and Curtis you guys need to get into position, right after Brian finishes, jump."

Everybody nodded, and took their positions.

"Watch us." Brian said, then Nick and Justin came forward and started skating around the stage. After a few seconds, they stopped, and picking up their skateboards, they froze.

Brian looked straight and said his line; "We ride our skateboards like we're going to live forever..."

Everybody looked at Nick and Justin with wide eyes, and gasping or screaming as they ran across without looking, acting like they're on the streets.

"…We run on streets and highways…" Brian continues.

Nick and Justin walked over to the edge of the stage, and started balancing themselves for a few seconds, before freezing.

"…Balance on rails of the bridge and the edge of subway platforms…"

Everybody started screaming, as everybody moved closer to Brian and blocked Nick, Curtis, Howie, Chris, and Christina.

"… Dive from the highest rock into the lake below, swagger unto unknown places singing and shouting…"

Everybody split up, half the students on the right side yelling `don't do it, and people on the left encouraging Christina. Christina moved opened up her arms and fell straight down her face, Nick and Curtis holding her.

"Ok, that was good, that was good. Once again, we need to do very well on this because the competition is on February 16… we have a month and just a couple of days. Brian… how long does basketball practice last after school?"

"About an hour." Brian said, sitting on the edge of the stage.

"Ok, and tomorrow there's a game right?" When Brian nodded, Josh went on, "Ok, I want everybody here after school starting next week. At exactly 5 o'clock, ya'll be here for rehearsals."

When everybody nodded, Josh was going to continue, but the phone rang, "Hold on." He said, walking over to his little office and picking the phone up.

Justin turned around and got jealous when he saw Christina sitting on Nick's lap, touching his face gently. Sure they were always that close, but now it was different. Now, he liked Nick more than just friends.

Britney Spears walked over Justin and sat next to him, "Good game yesterday." She said softly.

Justin smiled a little, "Thanks."

"I'm going to Doublz after school with some of the cheerleaders, why don't you and the guys come?"

Justin shrugged, "I don't know, I'll ask them."

"Alright babe, I'll talk to you later." Britney said, kissing Justin's cheek lightly as she got up, and walked over Jessica Simpson.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Justin leaned over and licked Brian's ice cream. "What about tomorrow?"

Nick, Justin, Brian, Nelly, Pharrell, Curtis, Jessica, Britney, Christina, and a few other people were sitting down in one booth at Doublz, just like they always did after practice.

"Umm, after the game?" Nick suggested, looking at everybody.

Everybody nodded, as Brian handed Justin the cone, "Finish it, I'm done."

"Ya sure?" Justin asked.

Brian nodded, getting up, "Oh yea, I'm full." He said, moving out of the booth. "I'm gonna go outside for a bit, anybody want anything?"

Everybody shook their head as Brian walked outside. 

"Yea, after the game is cool." Pharrell said, taking the ice cream from Justin.

"I want Oreo." Nick said, getting up. "Be back."

"Ok." Christina said, moving out so she could give Nick a room to get out.

Nick walked over the counter and smiled at Lance Bass, "Hey Lance… can I get an Oreo Shake?"

"1.43." Lance said, punching it on the cashier.

Nick handed him the money, "I'll come back and get it in a bit." He said, as he left the restaurant to go by Brian.

Brian was sitting outside on a ledge, watching the cars on the main street.  
Nick sat down next to him, and grabbed the cigarette from him, throwing it on the floor and crushing it. "No need to smoke. That's Alex's habit."

"Well, there's no more Alex, so I'll have to do it." Brian said, still staring at the passing cars.

"What?" Nick asked, his eyes wide. "Frick, please tell me you didn't break up just cuz he was there yesterday."

Brian shook his head, "No… that's not why." He said softly, glancing at Nick with tears in his eyes, "He chose them over me."

"Wait… you made him choose?"

Brian shook his head, "I didn't make him do anything… it was all him… but anyways, now I know what kind of relationship we had."

Nick reached over and hugged him gently, "He's a jackass… he doesn't know what he's losing."

"He was just standing there Nick… he didn't fucking defend me… defend himself." Brian muttered, choking back a sob. "God… I love him Nick… how could he do this to me?"

Nick rubbed Brian's back, "You don't deserve him… you deserve someone much better."

"I don't know how to be without him." Brian whispered, pulling away. "We were together since freshman year, plus we grew up together."

"I know, but you have to be strong. Show him that he didn't hurt you at all. Don't let him see how much you're hurting."

Brian nodded, "Yea I know."

Just then, Justin walked out of Doublz and walked over to them. "Lance said to give it to you." He said, handing Nick the shake. "I'm out."

"Wait… I'm taking you home." Nick said, standing up.

Justin shook his head, "I'm walking." He said as he walked away.

"Dude, it is pass midnight."

"I'll live."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Justin pulled his hood up and covered his curls, biting his lips nervously. He knew he shouldn't have walked, and on top of all, he shouldn't have taken the shortcut. He put his hands in his pockets and continued walking, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

He froze when he heard somebody walking behind him. He turned around, but he did not see anybody. He laughed nervously to himself and continued walking. The ringing of his phone in his pocket caused him to jump slightly, and with a shaky hand he picked it up. 

"Justin… run." He heard the voice on the other line say, but before he could even open his mouth to reply, somebody pushed him hard from the back, causing him to fall straight on his face.

He gasped, shocked and a bit terrified. He tried to look up to see who it was, but whoever it was kicked him right in his stomach, and laughed, "Fucking faggot."

Justin immediately had a feeling that he knew it was one of his rivals, "That's… too fucking old… get better at insulting." He said, trying to get up off the floor.

The guy kicked him again, causing him to double over. Before he knew what was happening, two other guys pulled him up. The first guy that was kicking him, smirked. "Hey bitch." He said, punching Justin.

Justin tried everything in his power to get away from the guys, but then he knew there was nothing he could do. He knew the chance of him getting away was slim to none so he simply just looked at the guy and spit the blood that was forming in his mouth at his attacker’s face.

Disgusted, the guy punched him over and over again for a while before the guys finally let him go.

"This shit aint over bitch,” was all that Justin heard as he fell to the floor. He spit out the blood and cursed under his breath as he watched his attackers run away, feeling himself get even angrier when he saw Alex was with the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be posted next week! Feedback is always appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any mistakes in this chapter, it is all my fault.
> 
> I have decided to post a chapter every week. Either on Thursdays or Fridays (undecided still). But since this chapter is a tad short, I decided that I would post chapter 6 as well. So, starting next week there will be one chapter a week.
> 
> Also, after chapter 11 or 12 (undecided) there will be a co-author. Until then, all mistakes are completely mine, after that, she can take half the blame. (lol)

"What are you doing?" Justin asked quietly, looking over at Nick, who was dialing a number.

"Hi… yes, I am calling to inform that my son, Justin Timberlake, is going to a little late because he has a doctor's appointment. Yes ma'am… um, 107414… uh uh… thank you very much. Yes ma'am… have a good day… bye." Nick said in a deep voice. He hung up and handed the phone to Justin.  
Calling the school and pretending to be each other’s parent, wasn’t anything new to them. Since the year before, when they started attending high school, they realized faking a call was much easier to deal with rather have the school call their house to find out why they were absent or late that day.  
Justin sighed and grabbed the phone, dialing the same number, and doing the same thing for Nick. "So… where are we going?" He asked, in a whisper, looking out of the window.

"To the lake." Nick said and then just drove in silent.  
Every morning, Nick would pick up Justin (since they lived next door to each other), and drive them to school (Justin did not have his license yet and therefore wasn’t allowed to drive, nor did he have a car). Except, today was different. The moment Nick had seen Justin’s face, his heart had just dropped to the floor. There was no way he was going to ignore and pretend nothing was wrong by going to school. No, he needed to find out what happened to his best friend and, most of all, who dared touch his friend’s face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick drove around for a while quietly until he finally got to the lake and parked the car. Turning off the car, he looked at Justin, and sighed sadly, "So…"

"So, what?" Justin said, never once looking anywhere but out of the window.

"What happened to your face?"

Justin shrugged, "I fell."

Nick looked at Nick and rolled his eyes, "Yea, ok, tell that to someone who was born yesterday."

"I don't wanna talk about it ok?" Justin snapped, looking at Nick.

"Justin, come o…"

"Nick! Don't!"

"Why are you pissed at me?" Nick asked, sighing sadly.

"I'm not pissed at you." Justin muttered, looking out of the window again.

"Stop lying to me!" Nick exclaimed.

"I'm not pissed at you!" Justin exclaimed back.

"Then why have you been ignoring me?" Nick asked quietly, moving closer to Justin.

"I'm not.."

"Justin, stop it!" Nick said, turning Justin's head to him. "What did I do?" He asked again, whispering this time.

Tears filled in Justin's eyes. He bit his lips hard, not letting them fall. "It's not important… it's stupid."

"Oh baby," Nick said, moving even closer to Justin, pulling him to him, "If something's hurting you then it's not stupid… and it's very important.

Justin sniffled, and looked down at his lap. "It's… you…" He took a deep breath, "What you said the other day really hurt me."

"What did I say? When?" Nick asked, honestly confused.

Justin sighed, "I like you Nick, more than just friends."

Nick drew in a deep, sharp, breath, and pulled away a little, "What?"

Justin swallowed hard, not saying anything, waiting for Nick to hit him or yell at him. When nothing happened other than silence for a few minutes, Justin finally opened the door and got out of the car.

"Justin…"

Justin simply slammed the door shut and started walking away.

"Justin, wait!" Nick yelled, getting out of the car.

Justin didn't look back, and started running when he realized Nick was following him. He could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. Even though he knew deep down inside Nick wouldn’t lay a hand on him, something was telling him to get away as fast as he could. He couldn’t comprehend at the time that it was merely because of the bashing he went through the night before.

Nick started running as fast as he could after Justin. He was so confused at everything. He wanted to murder the people that touched Justin. He wanted to understand what Justin meant, and he wanted to tell Justin how he felt. He pushed away the nagging feeling that was telling him to leave Justin alone, that Justin just needed his space, but he couldn’t just turn around and let Justin be alone. No, he needed to understand lots of things, and he wanted to make sure that Justin was okay. He just wanted to protect his younger friend. Once he caught Justin, they both fell to the floor on the sand. "J… Justin! Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt you… I would never, not intentionally."

Justin, very tense as Nick had him pinned down, looked up at the older blonde. He had tears streaming down his face and he felt self-conscious at the way he looked with his face went and all beaten up. He wanted to wipe his tears, but he knew he couldn't since Nick had his hands pinned above his head.

Nick wiped Justin's tears for him, and smiled softly.

"You don't have to laugh at me, ya know." Justin muttered, feeling his face heat up at Nick’s scrutinizing eyes. All he could do was look away at the lake, away from Nick. He felt ashamed, scared, and tired of everything.

"I'm not laughing at you…" Nick sighed, "look at me." He insisted.

Justin turned his head and slowly looked at Nick, "I shouldn't have said anything."

Nick shook his head, "No, I'm glad you told me." He said in a whisper. He was still laying on top of Justin, holding his hands above his curly hair, scared of moving incase Justin decided to take off again.

"Why? So you can make fun of me?"

"I just told you that I wouldn't never intentionally hurt you." Nick said, caressing Justin's cheek gently.

"What are you doing?" Justin asked, shifting under Nick a little, finally realizing the position they were in.

Nick smiled again and leaned over kissing Justin.

Justin shook his head a little trying to fight against Nick’s mouth, but that didn’t last long. As Nick insisted on the kiss with his lips Justin finally fell under his spell. After a few minutes of kissing, Justin could feel his body starting to react against Nick’s. He could feel his face heating up again since he knew there was no way out of this, and Nick could probably feel his hard-on against him. He turned his head to the left again, pulling away from the kiss.

Nick pulled away breathlessly, his face flushed and red as he felt Justin's hard on against his thigh. 

Justin cleared his throat, "Why'd you kiss me?"

"I…" Nick licked his swollen red lips, not wanting to hide his feelings, "I have feelings for you too… more than just friends."

Justin simply looked at Nick, trying to figure out if he was lying or not.

Nick smiled, giggling a little, "Would I kiss you if I was lying?"

Justin kept looking at Nick in silence; he never had to tell or ask Nick what was on his mind, and then finally shook his head, "No."

Nick smiled bigger, nodding, "Exactly."

"So… um… what does this mean? I… I mean, what are we gonna do?" Justin asked quietly, biting his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this story. Comments/feedbacks are always appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* A little too much violence, even for me.

"No, no, no!" Coach Ware yelled, "William, pass the ball!"

Pharrell, hearing the coach yell his last name, finally passed the ball to Justin. They were down by one point and had less than twelve seconds to beat the other team.

Justin looked around, cursing under his breath when he realized he couldn't shoot. Two guys were already blocking him. They couldn’t lose two games in row and the pressure was definitely on.

"J!" Nick yelled, throwing his arms up in the air when he was finally free.

Justin threw the ball to Nick. Nick caught it, and dribbled, running, doing a layout.

Everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion to Nick. He bit his lips as he jumped and threw the ball in. He winced when a guy  
from the other team elbowed him, causing him to fall and slide.

Right then, the buzzer rang, and everybody cheered. Nick looked up with wide eyes, trying to figure out if they won or not.

He didn’t have to wait too long as Brian jumped on Nick, smiling and laughing, "We won!"

Nick smiled back, and hugged Brian back, as everybody jumped of them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nick laughed happily, waving at the guys. Everybody had left the locker room already, and Justin was nowhere in sight. Nick sighed softly and grabbed a towel. He dried his hair quickly before putting everything in his locker and walking out of the locker room.

Justin waited a minute or two before opening the bathroom stall door slowly and walking out. He made sure nobody was left in the rooms before walking over to his locker and stripping.  
He quickly walked over to the shower area and turned the water on as he stepped under it.

The door opened, causing Justin to jump up. He relaxed just a little when he heard Nick's voice. Not turning around, he quickly grabbed the soap to clean off the sweat from the game.

He could hear Nick laughing as he walked back in, "I'm not a dumbass, asshole, I just forgot to grab my bag for some rea…" He heard Nick’s word subside as he got closer to him. "Holy Shit! Justin!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Justin slowly turned, and forced a smile, chuckling nervously. "You forgot your bag huh? Don't wait for me yea? I wanna walk home."

"The hell you are!" Nick exclaimed again, walking over to Justin.

Justin started backing away a little, "Just… stay there…. You’ll get wet…"

"Justin… just let me look at you… your back is bleeding." Nick said softly, not caring if the shower was still running.

"I'm fine." Justin insisted, "Just… go… I'm fine."

"Baby… you're covered in bruises, and got cuts… just let me make sure you're ok." Nick said, starting to walk again.

"I said I'm fine Nick!" Justin finally snapped, wanting to be left alone.

Nick took his shirt off and walked over to the showers. After wetting his shirt, he looked at Justin, ignoring him. "Turn around."

Justin was about to protest, but knew it would be utterly pointed to argue with Nick; Nick would win in the end. So, defeated, he turned around slowly.

Nick wiped the blood off of Justin's back gently, making sure not to hurt him, even though Justin was wincing every once in a while. "You shouldn't have played." He said quietly.

Justin shrugged, "I wasn't about to let some stupid bruises get in the way of the game."

"Come here." Nick said, gently leading Justin towards him, not caring that he was getting wet. Nick leaned over to him and kissed him softly, before he rested his forehead against Justin's. "Who did this  
to you?" He asked in a whisper.  
Justin had refused to tell him who had hurt when they were at the lake, so Nick had finally dropped the subject. But now, seeing how badly Justin was really hurt, it was killing Nick with curiosity. Someone had hurt Justin and he still didn’t know who. 

Justin shook his head, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does Ju, who did this, baby. Tell me."

Justin looked away. He did not want to tell Nick. Telling Nick the truth wasn’t the greatest idea… Nick had a horrible temper and Justin was scared of what he might end up doing to his attackers.

Nick turned Justin's head to him, "Tell me." He urged, "Who did this to you babe? I have to know."

"A…" Justin closed his eyes when he felt tears coming into them.

Nick just stood there, letting Justin tell him at his own pace.

"A… he was there." Justin whispered, turning away again.

"Who? Baby, who was there?" Nick asked softly, rubbing Justin's cheek.

"Alex." Justin whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Justin ran into Doublz, breathing hard. "Brian! Curtis!" He exclaimed, trying to find his friends.  
He knew he shouldn’t have told Nick anything… but he had caved it. Now, he was regretting even opening his mouth. Nick had gone after Alex and his friends, and Justin knew there was no way Nick could be okay against so many guys.

"Who… wait, calm down." Brian said, looking at Justin and standing up. "What happened? What's going on?"

"N… Nick is going… after them… go… stop him please… he wouldn't listen to me." Justin almost begged, pulling Brian.

"J... calm down." Pharrell said, also standing up. "Who is he going after?"

Justin hesitated a little. He knew he had to tell them in order for them to understand what was going on… but telling them meant Brian finding out Alex was one of the guys that hurt him. He finally told them the whole story, from leaving Doublz, to being sucker punched, to finally having more than one person hold him back as he was repeatedly beaten. "… So, he's going over to Andre, cause he knows they're all there now."

"Those fuckers…" Curtis muttered, storming out of Doublz, angrily.

"Shit." Justin said, looking at Brian, pleading with him to stop them. He didn’t like violence and he sure didn’t want his friends fighting because of him. If only he had kept his mouth shut then they wouldn’t have been in this situation.

Brian shook his head and sighed. "Come on." He told Justin softly, realizing how freaked out Justin was before following Curtis.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex sat at the corner, laughing at everything Andre was saying, even though they weren't funny to him at all. The last few days had been hell for him. He was in a very difficult situation. His friends, and teammates, were openly homophobes. He knew this, and he still hung out with them. He, sometimes, couldn’t even understand himself. But, he knew, he knew that if he didn’t sit here and listen to everything and pretend he was having fun, his own life at his high school would not be easy at all. He couldn’t just quit basketball and leave his teammates behind. It was all he ever wanted to do. If only his mother had let him stay at his old school, but he knew everything was his fault.  
He remembered the year before how he would hang out with Brian, Nick and Justin at Whittello. They even had their own bench where it was an unspoken rule that no one other those in that group could sit there. Times seemed to be much easier back then. Someone had made a rude and unnecessary remark about Brian’s sexuality, he remembered the anger that was rising up within him. Brian was the sweetest guy anybody had ever known, how dare anyone put him down? Without even a second thought, Alex had gotten up and punched the guy. And with that, he was suspended from school and his mother forced him to attend Middletinn in fear of someone hurting him at Whittello.

"What a fucking faggot… he's actually fucking openly gay at his school. I wonder why nobody kicked his ass before." Antwan said, in a disgusted voice.

Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying hard not to lash out at them for talking about Brian like that.

"We should go down and kick his ass… what do you say AJ?" Andre asked, looking at Alex.

Alex was caught off guard as looked up and started stuttering. "Uh… just… um… leave him alone, he's just a faggot who's got nothing better to do than suck cock." He swallowed hard, not believing that those words had just come out of his mouth. 

It was just then that Nick stormed in the open garage, grabbing Alex, slamming him to the door. He had been lurking outside by the bushes, listening to the conversation. He had debated with himself if he should go in against six guys, or not. He knew it wasn’t wise, he wasn’t stupid, but the comment Alex had made, simply made his decision much easier for him. "Who's the fucking faggot AJ?" his face inches away from Alex’s. He was seeing red with anger, and he was glaring deep into Alex’s eyes. At that moment, he wanted nothing but to tear Alex’s face into pieces.

The guys were on their feet immediately, but were shocked to be held back by Curtis, Pharrell, and the other guys that managed to get to their garage without their acknowledgement.

Brian just stood there, looking at AJ, his face emotionless. "Let him go Nick." He said too calmly.

Nick turned around, shocked to see Brian there. He should have known there was a reason he wasn’t being rushed by five other guys yet. He slammed AJ into the wall one more time, before finally letting him go.

Alex looked at Brian, his eyes wide, praying that Brian didn't hear anything he or the guys had said. He didn’t even care that he was pinned against the wall by Nick, he knew he deserved it, he was just worried about Brian hearing what he had said about him.

"I'm a faggot who likes to suck cocks, huh, AJ?" Brian said, still very calmly. He walked closer to Alex, never tearing his eyes away. "Tell me if it's true or not… but, um, wasn't it you who was begging to take it up the ass last week?"

Alex's face went pale, looking at Brian, mortified.

"Wasn't it you who was begging me to let you suck MY cock?" Brian asked, too calmly. "Tell them AJ… who's the fucking faggot here? I mean… you guys DID say that that's what a faggot does, right? A faggot begs to suck cock. Well, YOU were begging ME AJ! Tell them!" He couldn’t help be calm anymore. He could feel his whole body shaking with anger and betrayal as he yelled. "Fucking tell them who always bottomed… go ahead… make fun of the faggot… Do it! Tell them!"

Nick moved closer to Justin, watching the whole thing with wide eyes. He had never heard Brian cuss, let alone get angry before. 

Alex swallowed hard, not believing Brian would ever do this.

"Grow the fuck up AJ… Grow. UP!" Brian continued, "Get over the fact that you're gay. You can't change that. No matter what you do! Fuck you for coming into my life. You're ashamed of being gay huh? Well, I'm fucking ashamed of knowing you." He finished looking at Alex with disgust before storming out of garage.

Nick looked at Andre, and walked closer to him. He punched Andre so hard, catching him off guard. "That's for fucking touching Justin." When Andre was about to make a move, Curtis simply walked in front of him, and dared him to do something. Curtis was a very tall and built guy. He was probably the only one who spent so many amount of hours in the gym working out. He had joined kickboxing at a very young age, and everyone knew the way he fought. No one ever dared to challenge him.

Nick didn’t even care if Andre was going to come after him (although he knew with all his friends there, Andre and his gang were outnumbered). He turned around and walked over to Alex before punching his face very hard, "That was for just watching Justin get beat up and not helping," He punched him again, "And THAT was for hurting my best friend."

Alex doubled over in pain but just stood there; He quietly just took what Nick had thrown at him.

"Fucking pussy." Antwan spat, looking at Justin. "You brought your boyfriend when you knew you couldn't take us huh?" But he didn't make any move, since Nelly was right in front of him.

Without warning, Nick lunged at him, causing him to fall to the floor. He punched him hard over and over again, ignoring Nelly who was trying to pull him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! =)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 7!

"Marsh, got a dollar?" Lindsay Lohan asked her half-brother, Marshall Mathers.

Marshall handed five dollars to her, "You have a ride home today, right?" He asked, "Cause I'm not gonna be able to take you home… I have to go to work."  
  
Lindsay shrugged, "I'll walk… don't worry about it." She kissed Marshall's cheek, "Thanks, I'll see you at home."  
  
"Call me when you get home!" Marshall said, looking at her.  
  
"Ok… I'll be fine Marsh. Don't worry. Mandy'll walk with me." Lindsay said, waving as she walked over to the vending machine.  
  
Mekhi Phifer licked his lips, looking at Lindsay, "She's getting hot."  
  
Marshall looked at Mekhi, and glared at his best friend, "She's 15 and my sister… so don't even think about it."  
  
Mekhi laughed, shaking his head, "Dawg, I aint like that… I'm just sayin'… I aint gonna bang yo sister."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Everybody, sit down." Kevin Richardson, the drama teacher for Middletinn, said as he walked in the classroom. "I just found out that the competition is in February… and Whittello is going to be there. I'm gonna say this only once, so ya'll listen ok?"  
  
Everybody nodded, so Kevin continued, "If I hear, or see, that ANY of you is getting in a fight with them, before OR after the show, ya'll won't be performing anymore, because frankly, I am sick of hearing the rivalry between you guys. Is that understood?"  
  
Everybody looked at each, and nodded again, "Ok then, everybody up… now."  
  
Marshall got up and walked over Alex, "What happened to your face?"  
  
Alex looked up and smiled a little, shrugging, "Got in a fight."  
  
"This is so fuckin stupid." Mekhi said, shaking his head, "What if they fuckin start shit on us? I aint just gonna sit there and take everything." He said, walking over Marshall and Alex.

Marshall and Mekhi were probably the only guys in Middletinn that Alex actually enjoyed being around.  They never made unnecessary comments, rude remarks, or homophobic insults.   
  
Alex shrugged, "They won't start anything."  
  
Before anybody could say anything to Alex's comment, Mandy Moore’s voice could be heard from the wings. Marshall turned around and saw Omari, Mandy's boyfriend, bugging her. He quickly got up and walked over to them. Mandy was like his little sister (and Lindsay’s best friend) and seeing her mad like that got to him. "You ok?" He asked softly, looking at Mandy.  
  
Mandy shook her head, trying hard not to cry.  
  
Marshall turned around and looked at her boyfriend, the anger apparent on his face, "What the fuck did you do?"  
  
"It's none of your fucking business Marshall, just stay out of it." Omari said, glaring at Marshall.  
  
"What did you say?" Marshall asked, walking closer to Omari. Marshall was a pretty intimidating guy, specially next to Omari who was very scrawny and short.  Marshal wasn’t that tall either, but he was well built and very experience in mixed martial arts and kickboxing.  
  
"Marsh… don't." Mandy said in a soft voice, grabbing Marshall's arm. "It's cool… he thinks I don't know about him and Willa… he just doesn't know about me and Pharrell." She smirked at Omari.  
  
Marshall glanced at Mandy, and knew she could handle him. Thinking she had made up this Pharrell to get back at her boyfriend, he backed away, but stayed close enough in case Mandy needed him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Half an hour into class, Alex couldn’t handle it anymore. He moved to one of the wings, hiding away from Mr. Richardson. He picked his phone up, and with shaky hands dialed Brian's number.  
  
He heard Brian laugh before hearing him say hello.  
  
Alex didn't say anything for a second, just closed his eyes and listened to Brian. He didn’t know what to say, he just knew he had to hear his voice.  Last night’s incident kept playing over and over in his mind, and he could never forget the things Brian had told him.  He didn’t blame Brian, nor was he ever angry at him.  On the contrary, he deserved everything Brian had thrown at him.  After all, Brian had been completely right.  He was a faggot, and he envied Brian’s strength to be open and happy about it.  
  
"Hello?" Brian said again, looking at the caller ID, seeing it was a blocked number.  
  
"Hey." Alex said quietly, clearing his throat.  
  
Brian's smile immediately turned into a frown, "What the fuck do you want?"  
  
Alex rubbed his left eyes, sighing, "Just wanted to hear your voice."  
  
"Why?" Brian asked coldly.  
  
"I… just… Bri… I…"  
  
"Don't call me again." Brian said, hanging up the phone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Lindsay whispered, looking at Aaron with wide eyes. "If my brother, or anybody sees you here, they'll kill you!"

Aaron Carter was Nick’s younger brother, and Lindsay’s boyfriend.  He was from Whittello, yet during school hours he had snuck out to come to Middletinn to see her.  He knew the risk he was taking.  There would be hell to pay if anybody found out where he was.  If people in Middletinn started to notice him, he had no one to defend against them.  But she was worth it, and he had to do it.

"I HAD to see you… if MY brother finds out I'm here… he'll kill me too. But I just had to see you… I miss you." Aaron whispered back, closing the janitor's door.  
  
"How'd you get in here? Didn't anybody stop you?"  
  
Aaron shook his head, "Nah, they thought I come here." He said, "God, I just hope they don't call home that I ditched… if Nick finds out… all hell will break lose."  
  
"Don't you have a basketball practice?" Lindsay asked, kissing Aaron softly.  
  
Aaron shook his head, "JV's practice was cancelled… this is better anyways. I didn't wanna go. Now come on… let's go."  
  
"Let's go where? Are you crazy?" Lindsay asked, her eyes wide again.  
  
"Let's go to my house… my sisters are at school, my brother's at school, and my parents are at work. I haven't seen you for two weeks Lindz… I miss you."  
  
"Ok, ok, come on." Lindsay said, opening the door and making sure there was nobody there before grabbing Aaron's hand and leading him to the back fence.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Marshall! Where's Lindsay? She needs to do `Just Like High School.' She's the main character, where is she?" Kevin exclaimed, looking at Marshall.  
  
Marshall shrugged, "I don't know Mr. R… I… I'll call her." He said, picking his phone up and dialing Lindsay's. Lindsay never ditched before, so he was actually worried that she got sick.  
  
"Hello."  
  
Marshall's eyes narrowed when a guy answered her phone, "Who's this?"  
  
"No… hang up." Marshall heard Lindsay say, "Aaron… he's my brother, hang up."

Marshall could feel his body tensing up as he heard his sister. _Aaron_ , he thought. A guy was with his sister. God knows where.   
  
Marshall looked at Kevin, and faked a smiled, "She wasn't feeling well, and so she went home. She'll be back tomorrow that's for sure." He lied.  
  
Kevin nodded, "Ok… who's her understudy?" He asked, shuffling through his papers.  
  
Marshall walked over Mandy and pulled her aside. "Who's Aaron?"  
  
Mandy's eyes went wide, "Um… uh… Aaron? I never heard of him… why?" She lied nervously.  
  
"Don't fucking lie to me… who's Aaron?" Marshall asked again.  
  
"I don't know." Mandy lied again, walking away.  
  
"I swear to God, when I find out who that bitch is, he's dead." Marshall exclaimed, walking over to Mekhi.


	8. Chapter 8

“Please Nicky, don’t tell them.” Aaron begged, looking at Nick. 

Nick had just gotten home from school when he noticed his brother in the kitchen. He had noticed that Aaron wasn’t at school and didn’t want his brother to follow in his footsteps by not attending whenever he didn’t want to.

 “You ditched school…” 

“You always do!” Aaron exclaimed, “I NEVER tell mom!” 

Nick sighed. He was afraid of that; afraid of Aaron throwing his actions back to his face. “Promise to never do it again.” 

Aaron bit his lips, “I’ll try.” 

“Aaron…!” 

“I said I’ll try.” Aaron said, getting annoyed at his older brother before storming to his room, slamming the door. 

Nick sighed and turned around, freezing when he saw his mother standing there, looking at them angrily. “M… mom… what are you doing here early?” 

Nick and Aaron’s life wasn’t perfect at home. His mother wasn’t the nicest person in the world and he was used to it, but he knew things would be bad for Aaron if she had actually heard their conversation. 

“Go to your room and wait for me, Nickolas.” Jane said, dropping her bags down on the counter before trying to walk over to Aaron’s room. 

Nick stood in front of Jane, blocking her way as he shook his head, “Mom… it’s not him… it was me.” He lied quickly, trying to cover for Aaron. 

“Nick, move… I heard you guys.” 

“Mom, it wasn’t him!” Nick said, his heart beating fast in his chest. When his mother got mad, she got violent.  He was used to it but there was no way he was going to stay back and let the same thing happen to Aaron. “It was me… _I_ ditched… the teacher thought it was him because we…” 

Jane looked at Nick angrily and slapped him hard, “Don’t you dare lie to me!” 

Nick closed his eyes and his hand quickly went up to cover his burning cheek. He swallowed hard, “I’m not…” He whispered, even though he was lying straight through his teeth. He would put up with his mother for Aaron’s sake, he didn’t care how badly her hits stung. 

“Go to your room… now!” Jane yelled, looking at Nick. 

“No…” He said with a whisper, his eyes wide with fear. 

Jane widened her own eyes before grabbing Nick roughly and pushing him out of the way. “Go until your father comes speaks with you.” 

Nick sighed and against his will moved away from her. _My father,_ he thought, shuddering. Defeated, he walked to his room, looking down at the floor the whole time. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Babe just hang in there.” Justin whispered, closing his eyes. “He’ll be ok." 

Nick shook his head, sniffling, “You know how my mom is J… it’s all my fault.”

It has been about ten minutes since his mother had roughly pushed him towards his room, away from Aaron’s, and he could feel his body shaking with fear. The fear wasn’t because his father was going to come and talk to him, no, it was about what his mother _and_ father were going to do to Aaron. Sometimes he just craved those times where his parents left for weeks.

“It’s not your fault… open your window.” Justin said, and hung up the phone. 

When he had gotten to his room, first thing he had done was call Justin.  Even when Justin was just his friend, he always ended up calling him at times like this.  Even though Brian is his best friend, he could never bring himself to tell him about his horrible life at the house.

Nick wiped his eyes and opened his window just as Justin started climbing out of his own window. They didn’t live far from each other at all. His bedroom window was right across Justin’s bedroom window, and sometimes he felt he could just reach out and touch Justin if they were standing by the windows. “Be careful.” He called out quietly. His heart started beating fast when he realized his door was unlocked and quickly walked back over to his door to lock it. He could hear his mother’s yells even with his closed door and Aaron’s cries and whispers. His heart ached, knowing there was nothing he could do. 

Justin climbed in to Nick’s room and closed the window. He walked over Nick and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight warm hug. “Shh, he’s strong baby.” 

Nick shook his head, “I shouldn’t have said anything!” He exclaimed quietly, his voice breaking.

Justin rubbed Nick’s back and was quiet for awhile. He finally took a deep breath and spoke up to Nick. “I’m gonna tell my mom.” He knew Nick would start arguing with him, but he couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t watch the person he loved the most hurt.

Nick pulled away and looked at Justin, “Tell what?” He asked. He knew what Justin was talking about, but he had to ask anyway.  Surely Justin couldn’t mean what he thought he meant.

“What your parents do to you.” Justin said calmly, watching Nick closely. “It’s enough already.”

Nick shook his head, starting to get freaked out. “You’re not telling anybody anything!” He said, looking at Justin. “It’s not enough… we… we deserve everything they do to us.”

Justin narrowed his eyes and shook his head, “No…”

“Please.” Nick cried, looking at Justin, pleading with his eyes. “You can’t.” He whispered, wiping his tears. “You promised.” 

“I know I did… but that was _so_ long ago. Nick… I see what she’s doing to you guys… imagine what’s gonna happen when your dad comes.”

Nick flinched at the thought but shook his head, “I said no!” Nick almost yelled, “I’m NOT gonna lose my brother just because you told somebody… please… I CAN’T lose him!”

Justin sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Nick. “You guys are getting hurt in the process.” 

“We’ll be more hurt if we separate… J, please promise me.” Nick begged, “Please.”

Justin looked at Nick and sighed sadly, not knowing what to do.

“Please.” Nick whispered, choking back a sob.

Justin sighed again and nodded, “Ok.” He whispered, “I promise.” He said, deep down not believing he was doing the right thing. But Nick looked so sad, so broken, he couldn’t betray his trust like that.

Nick jumped a little causing Justin to jump with him in fear. They were startled when somebody started banging on his door. He looked at Justin, fear written all over his face. “Go in there…” he whispered, pointing at his closet, “please don’t make any noise, no matter what.” He gently shoved Justin towards the closet before getting up and slowly walking over his door to open it.

His dad pushed the door open and walked in, dragging Nick with him.

Robert Carter was a businessman. He owned quite a few companies around the country and he took his reputation very seriously.

“How many times have you ditched?” Robert asked loudly, slapping Nick hard.

Justin jumped a little, watching the whole scene with wide eyes through the little opening. He quickly recovered from the initial shock, trying to not make any noise to not get Nick into further trouble.  Yes, Nick had told him about the countless times he has been hit by his father, or shoved, or pulled, or beaten, but never once had he seen it or heard it himself.  His mother and stepfather would never raise a finger, let alone a hand at him.  He tightened his fist, trying to calm the anger that was building inside of him. This man was hurting his boyfriend and he didn’t like it one bit how helpless he was.

“I asked you a question!” Robert yelled, hitting Nick again.

“I… please… just… once.” Nick lied, trying to cover his face. 

“Tomorrow, you’re quitting this drama nonsense, and I want you to come over to my place every day after school. You’re going to start working.”

Nick looked at his dad, shaking his head like crazy. “No! Dad… please, I can’t… I can’t quit… please don’t make me quit!”

Robert’s eyes narrowed, as he hit Nick again, “I’m letting you stay in the basketball team, don’t push it. Anything that fairies do, you will not. I will not allow for a queer to live under my house.” 

Nick looked at Robert, his body shaking, “Please… dad… I HAVE to be in drama. I… I’m not a queer, I’m not… so why should drama change that?”

Robert grabbed Nick by his shirt and pulled him to him, “I said you’re quitting drama tomorrow. You better get your ass to my place RIGHT after practice. Do you hear me?”

All Nick could do was nod as he looked up at his father with fear filled in his eyes.

Robert pushed him hard, causing Nick to slam against his dresser. “Good. Now if I ever hear you ditched again, I’ll take you out of basketball as well.” And with that said, he turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Justin opened the closet door all the way, and ran over Nick, pulling him into his arms. “Shh baby.”

Nick shook his head, and pushed Justin away. “Go… leave… you shouldn’t be here.”

Justin looked at Nick, a little hurt. Nick was pushing him away again, not just literally. “Why?”

“He can’t see us together… he can’t… he can’t know I have feelings for you… he’ll kill me.” Nick sobbed, trying to move from Justin. “Everybody’s right… fags shouldn’t live…” 

Justin shook his head, and forced Nick to look at him. “That’s NOT true and you know it!” 

Nick just pushed Justin more, “Go away. Leave me alone. I’m not gay, I’m NOT gay!”

“Nobody said you were… you don’t have to necessarily be gay to be attracted to a guy Nick.” Justin said softly, but firmly.

“It’s not right… this isn’t right Justin! You and me… it’s not right. Guys should just be with girls… that’s how it’s meant to be, THAT’S what’s right.”

Justin looked at Nick, angrily, and pulled him close to him, crushing his lips against him hard. After kissing him deeply, he pulled away and looked at Nick. “Did THAT feel wrong to you Nick? It sure as hell didn’t to me!”

Nick just looked away, crying. It didn’t feel wrong, on the contrary, it felt _so_ right. But there was nothing Nick could do, this had to end.

“Does, what you feel for me, feel wrong? Does what we have feel wrong to you Nick? Because they don’t feel wrong to me. They feel right… just right Nick.” Justin said, his own tears falling from his eyes. “If feeling right is wrong, then I don’t know what to tell you. Except, I… I love you. I don’t give a shit what other people think. I’m in love with you. I know people think I’m too young… but dammit Nick, I’ve known you forever, and I KNOW what I’m feeling. And what I’m feeling is definitely not wrong.”

“You heard him Justin.” Nick whispered, sniffling. “He doesn’t want any queers under his roof… what the fuck am I gonna do if he finds out?”

“He doesn’t have to find out Nicky.” Justin whispered back, “We don’t have to tell anybody. And… IF he somehow finds out, you’re always welcome in my house. You know mom loves you.”

Nick just shook his head. “Mom will probably hate me, saying I turned you gay.” Nick said, looking away. “This can’t go on Justin, this was a mistake.”

“A mistake?” Justin asked angrily.

“You should go now.” Nick said, standing up.

“But…” Justin’s eyes were wide, “…Nick…”

“No, Justin. Go… it’s late. If my parents find you here, everything will be worse.” Nick said, pushing Justin towards the window.

“Nick, wait.” Justin said, stopping. He looked at Nick and kissed him softly, ignoring the fact that Nick didn’t kiss him back. “I love you.” He whispered, opening the window and climbing out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour or so after the house quieted down, Nick tiptoed his way to Aaron’s bed, and climbed in his bed. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, knowing that Aaron was still awake.

Aaron shrugged, and wiped his eyes, sniffling, “Not your fault.” 

“I tried to keep them off of you.” Nick whispered, feeling guilty. “But… she already heard you so it was too late.” 

Aaron turned around and looked at Nick, “It’s ok Nick, really, I was asking for it.” 

“Did they hurt you badly?" 

Aaron shrugged again, “My back hurts a little…” He didn’t care about how he felt though, he was worried about Nick. “I heard dad.” He whispered, “I’m sorry that you have to quit drama.”

“Not your fault.” Nick whispered, just like Aaron had done earlier. He kissed Aaron’s forehead and sighed softly, “Go to sleep.” 

Aaron nodded and closed his eyes, “Night.” 

“Night.” Nick whispered, watching Aaron go to sleep. He knew sleep would not come to him that night.


End file.
